| p>Storyline | | | | and in-game assistance tips to aid you along the |
| Chuzzle brings a surprising combination of 80s | | | | way. Additionally, in exchange for a hit in points, |
| arcade style with the standout flops of the 70s: | | | | hints are available to get you out of those |
| shag carpet and disco. Like many puzzle casual | | | | “what the heck do I do now?” |
| games of recent (including Bejeweled, Zuma and | | | | moments. |
| Cubis), the aim of the game here is to create | | | | Playability |
| chains of three or more in an attempt to clear | | | | With dozens of trophies, multiple, very challenging |
| the board or advance levels. Only, in Chuzzle, | | | | game modes, and tons twists and quirks along |
| instead of grouping jewels, blocks or orbs, we are | | | | the way, Chuzzle is one of the few casual games |
| grouping what can only be described as cute little | | | | that seems to never get old or boring! It kind of |
| shag carpet hairballs with eyes (apparently named | | | | reminds me of the old commercial with the tagline |
| “chuzzles”)! | | | | “once you pop, you can’t |
| We are taken right into her quest as a | | | | stop!” To sum up… |
| restaurateur as Flo herself; an energetic, | | | | MUST POP MORE SHAG CARPET HAIRBALLS! |
| enthusiastic owner who fulfills every role from | | | | Full Version Features |
| hostess to server, bartender and busboy | | | | The free trial include unrestricted access and |
| (thankfully, cooking is provided by a overworked | | | | allows 60 minutes of gameplay. Enough to get |
| dark figure behind the counter). | | | | you started and on your way at least one game |
| Chuzzle provides several game modes including | | | | mode as well as time to try out the other three. |
| classic (what we’re used to playing), Speed | | | | The full version allows you to feed your addiction |
| (where you must make a combo every few | | | | (you’ll see what I mean when your trial |
| seconds in order to continue on), Zen and Mind | | | | expires). |
| Bender. All modes seem to be endless, as after | | | | Pros/Cons |
| an hour I reach level 24 with no end in site (and | | | | Pros: |
| officially, as far as we know, there is no limit). | | | | - Very addicting |
| The sound track is particularly interesting and | | | | - Doesn't get old or boring |
| unique. It’s a disco-techno feel beat with, | | | | - Seemingly unending |
| what I swear, is the Aflac duck quacking to the | | | | - Easy to use, navigate |
| music (think John Travolta meets Donald Duck)! | | | | Cons: |
| However, the best part (by far) is the inclusion of | | | | - No multiple player support |
| trophies. Several dozen trophies are available in | | | | Bottom Line |
| the Trophy Room for all types of achievements | | | | I never thought popping little shag carpet hairballs |
| ranging from “Triple Combo” to | | | | with eyes could bring so much excitement and |
| “Speed Freak” to “Chuzzle | | | | satisfaction… but it does! This game never |
| Bingo”. This feature, along with the | | | | gets old, boring, and seems to never end! The |
| morphine-like, hour wasting addicting gameplay | | | | inclusion of trophies for particular achievements |
| (customary for PopCap games) delivers more | | | | catapults this arcade/puzzle game above the |
| then enough excitement time and time again to | | | | traditional Bejeweled, Zuma and Cubis. My #1 |
| warrant full version purchase: one hour is not | | | | Puzzle Game of the Year! |
| enough, I must pop more shag carpet hairballs! | | | | Editor's Rating: |
| Navigation | | | | Storyline: 9 |
| Thanks to obvious special consideration, PopCap | | | | Ease of Use: 9 |
| has come up with a sliding row/column grid | | | | Playability: 10 |
| navigation which proves easy-to-use and yet | | | | Overall: 8.3 |
| allows challenging gameplay. Players slide rows and | | | | Game Specs: |
| columns of chuzzles left and right or up and down | | | | - Publisher: PopCap Games |
| in order to line up combinations which record | | | | - Full Version Price: $19.99 |
| themselves (over half of my combo’s | | | | - Windows 98/2000/Me/XP |
| when playing came from accidental lineups | | | | - Processor: PIII 500 MHz |
| recorded while attempting another, more obvious, | | | | - 128 MB RAM |
| lineup). | | | | - Free hard drive space: 8 MB |
| Ease of Use | | | | - 16 bit Video Card 16MB DirectX 7 |
| Regarding ease of use, the navigation and | | | | - DirectX-compliant Sound Card |
| gameplay are self explanatory at the get-go. And | | | | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons |
| just in case you find yourself a little clueless as to | | | | Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License. |
| where to begin, PopCap has included many tutorial | | | | Editor's Rating: 9. |